Auckland

Auckland is the most populated city in New Zealand. 1.5 million people live here. That's 1 in 3 New Zealanders! The city's nickname is "The City of Sails." The tallest structure in the southern hemisphere at 328 meters, the Sky Tower, is located in the center of the city. The city is built on scores of dormant volcanoes.

looking up the Sky Tower

Auckland's skyline 

one of Auckland's dormant volcanoes in the distance

Kiwi Birds

The national bird of New Zealand is the kiwi bird.
The bird has become a symbol for the country and is a nickname for people from New Zealand.

on the back pillow is a kiwi bird. the image on the front is just a popular Maori icon

a stuffed kiwi at the Auckland Museum

Silver Ferns

A common symbol of New Zealand is the silver fern.
The majority of which are green on both sides, but there is a species of fern native to New Zealand where one side is green whereas the other side is silver.

Kauri Trees

A species of tree native to New Zealand that grows extremely large.
 These trees were used extensively in past times for Maori war canoes.
This type of tree is now protected in order to preserve the remaining population.

Hobbiton

The Hobbiton Movie Set is the location where the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy were filmed.

Waitomo Caves

A New Zealand tourist attraction famed for its natural beauty are the Waitomo caves. Although the caves are impressive, the actual reason people go is to take a boat ride along the cave's river with the only light coming from the bioluminescence of the cave's thousands of glowworms.

where I exited the caves. I couldn't actually take any photos within the caves. But it is possible to find some photos online

Treaty of Waitangi

1840 is perhaps the most important year in New Zealand's history, a year as important as the United States' 1776. In 1840 is when the famous Treaty of Waitangi was signed. This was a treaty signed between New Zealand's British colonizers representing the British crown and many Maori chiefs representing their respective tribes. The general outcome of this treaty was that New Zealand would become an official colony of Britain and the Maori would become British subjects.

a replica of the treaty

info about New Zealand's history. English on the left, Maori on the right. The flag is "The Flag of the United Tribes."

Bay of Islands

One of New Zealand's more popular tourist attraction famed for its natural beauty is an area in the northern part of the country called the Bay of Islands. This place was where some of the first Maori settlements began. Additionally, there were locations within the Bay of Islands where Captain Cook docked his ship while on his famous expedition of the region.

Paihia is the gateway to the bay of islands

the hole in the rock which I sailed through

dolphins can be found in the area

New Zealand Dollar

Currently 1 US Dollar (USD) is about 1.37 New Zealand Dollars (NZD). 

Like the Australian Dollars, New Zealand banknotes are colorful and feature native animals.

Maori People

The name for the people native to New Zealand is Maori.
The Maori have inhabited New Zealand since around the 13th century AD.
Of the approximately 4.5 million people living in New Zealand, about 15% of them are Maori.
Many of their traditions still exist today.
Sometimes I will even see signs in both English and Maori.
Sometimes I hear people speaking the Maori language on the street.
Maori possess a very distinct art style.

a portrait of a Maori man from the early 1900's. Shows a blend of the British and the Maori traditions

another portrait of a Maori man. This one wearing traditional clothing

the distinct type of Maori architecture used for homes and other important buildings

a Maori woodcarving

another woodcarving

a Maori woman performing a traditional dance

warrior culture was another important aspect of Maori life. one of the most common weapons used were spears

what the inside of important Maori meeting houses look like

Cricket World Cup

This year the host nations for the 2015 Cricket World Cup are Australia and New Zealand.
I had the opportunity to watch a match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The match was between England and Afghanistan.
 It was very rainy that day, so the match was postponed multiple times.
There were more Afghani fans than English.

Oceania

Oceania is the name some people use for certain groups of islands within the Pacific Ocean. The main groups of islands are Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Australia and New Zealand are the most well known of the islands countries in Oceania. Other examples are Fiji, New Caledonia, Tonga, Samoa, and Vanuatu.